State Aid to Airports Program
STATE AID TO AIRPORTS PROGRAM
State Authorization: /N.C.G.S. 63
NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
DIVISION OF AVIATION
Nancy C. Seigler, Grants Administrator
NC DOT Division of Aviation
1560 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1560
(919) 814-0568
FAX (919) 840-9267
/ Address Confirmation Letters To:
Wayne Davenport, CICA, Lead Auditor
Single Audit Compliance Unit
N. C. Department of Transportation
1507 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-1507
(919) 707-4581
Fax (919) 715-2710
The auditor should not consider the Supplement to be “safe harbor” for identifying audit procedures to apply in a particular engagement, but the auditor should be prepared to justify departures from the suggested procedures. The auditor can consider the supplement a “safe harbor” for identification of compliance requirements to be tested if the auditor performs reasonable procedures to ensure that the requirements in the Supplement are current. The grantor
agency may elect to review audit working papers to determine that audit tests are adequate.
The Single Audit Compliance Unit of the External Audit Branch reviews all single audits, financial audits, and management letters of all “grantees”. We are looking at both the presentation (information as to program, pass-through and state funding, NCDOT identification numbers) and the dollar amounts presented versus our records. Any reports not received will be requested.
Grants must be properly identified by program name (“State Aid to Airports Program”), DOT number (“DOT-8”), and WBS number on the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal and State Awards. This information is available from the agreement with NCDOT; program name is in the second/third paragraph while the WBS number is on the upper right hand corner of the first page. Grantor and/or pass-through grantor and program title should also be included. Please do not combine like projects into one-dollar amount since we would need to call you for the breakdown; please report award amount, State share and local share. On NCDOT’s confirmation from the Grant Master List (GML), these moneys are shown as DOT number “DOT-8.”
I. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The objective of the State Aid to Airports Program is to provide financial assistance to local governmental units for the purpose of planning, land acquisition, construction, navigational aids, terminal buildings, parking, and access roads for airports and heliports that will be open to the public.
II. PROGRAM PROCEDURES
Local units of government including cities, counties, and airport authorities and commissions chartered by the General Assembly are eligible for airport grants. Airports/heliports receiving funds must be identified in the North Carolina Airport System Plan (NCASP).
The State Aid to Airports Program is the program providing state funds on a local matching formula basis. All North Carolina airports meeting the eligibility standards are eligible for state funds ranging from 50% of the non-federal share of eligible project costs to 100% of the non-federal share of eligible project costs. The final share is stipulated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and depends upon the size of the airport, the location of the airport and the category of project.
Grants are made by the North Carolina Department of Transportation as part of the annual Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Project requests must be submitted to the Department of Transportation-Division of Aviation. The requests are currently submitted via a web-based portal. These requests are reviewed and prioritized prior to approval by the Aviation Director with final approval by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. In addition, if funds are available later, grants may be made for new or expanded projects later in the year. All grants requests are made to the Division of Aviation and approved by the Aviation Director with final approval by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation. .
III. COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS
1. ACTIVITIES ALLOWED OR UNALLOWED
Allowability of Specific Transactions and Activities
Compliance Requirement - Guidance for State Aid to Airports projects is contained in the StateAidtoAirports Program Guidance Handbook, third edition, reissued January 1999, which is available from the Department of Transportation.
The following items are eligible for State Aid to Airports Program funds:
1. Public use portions of terminals at general aviation airports.
2. Ancillary projects required to support the construction of new terminal
3. Non-recurring maintenance of pavements, lighting systems, and navigational aids.
4. Airport master planning and site selection
5. Environmental impact studies
6. Land and building acquisition (including relocation of displaced persons and businesses)
7. Development and implementation of airport noise studies and compatibility programs
8. Construction of eligible runways, taxiways, aircraft parking aprons, and roadways
9. Airport lighting systems
10. Visual and electronic air navigational aids
11. Airport maintenance heavy equipment
12. Fire fighting and snow removal equipment.
13. Hangar construction, terminal facilities, fuel farms, maintenance equipment, etc. The following items are ineligible for funding under the State Aid to Airports Program:
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1. Buildings that are not terminal buildings (unless specifically approved by NCDOT-Aviation).
2. Landscaping or artwork installed solely for decorative purposes.
3. Office equipment and furnishings for offices and non-public spaces within terminals.
4. Operational expenses related to day to day operation of the airport to include salaries, consumables, utilities, etc.
5. Land acquisition for areas of the airport intended for the sole purpose of serving non-aviation uses.
6. Land, roads, taxiways, or lighting systems serving an individual private aviation operation, unless the system serves (or will serve) multiple users and is normally available for public use. Specific questions on exceptions should be directed to the Aviation Division.
Audit Objective – Determine if the activities involved conform to the provisions of the grant agreement.
Suggested Audit Procedure - Review project records to determine that activities involved conform to the description contained in the Grant Agreement.
2. ALLOWABLE COSTS / COST PRINCIPALS
North Carolina Department of Transportation Administrative Code-Book has adopted the Cost and Cost Principals of the OMB Circulars A-87, A-21, and A-122.
1. Compliance Requirement - In general, no costs expended prior to the issuance of a Grant Agreement by the Department of Transportation are eligible for reimbursement unless:
1. They involve planning and project formulation costs necessary to develop the project application and its co-requisites of an approved Airport Layout Plan and appropriate environmental finding
2. The acquisition of eligible land and the engineering and administrative costs associated with such acquisition has received prior documented approval from the Department of Transportation and that has been carried out in accordance with the State Aid to Airports Program Guidance Handbook.
Audit Objective - Determine that all costs billed to the grant are allowable.
Suggested Audit Procedure - Verify through a sample of invoices that costs are allowable.
2. Compliance Requirement - Local units of government including cities, counties, and airport authorities chartered by the General Assembly are eligible for airport grants. These local units of government should be eligible for sales tax refunds under GS 105-164.14 (b) or (c); if they have not qualified, then these local units of government should take the steps necessary to become eligible. Sales tax paid, which may be requested from the NC Department of Revenue as a refund, is an ineligible charge.
Audit Objective - Determine that the authority is eligible for the refund and that NCDOT did not reimburse any sales taxes eligible for refund.
Suggested Audit Procedure - Review financial records, including contractors’ sales tax affidavits, and ascertain that no sales taxes were billed to the project.
3. CASH MANAGEMENT
Compliance Requirement – Grantees of NCDOT are funded on a reimbursement basis. Grantees should pay vendors prior to or within 3 business days of receipt of the NCDOT reimbursement.
Audit Objective - Determine whether the grantee followed procedures to minimize the time elapsing between the receipt of the NCDOT reimbursement and the payment to the vendor.
Audit Procedure – Select a sample of reimbursement requests and trace to supporting documentation showing that the costs for which reimbursement was requested were paid prior or at least within 3 business days of the receipt of the NCDOT reimbursement.
6. EQUIPMENT AND REAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Appendix B of the “State Aid to Airports Program Guidance Handbook”, third edition, reissued January 1999, Section A, page 5 of 9, contains the Sponsor’s Assurances: General Conditions. The following items should be noted:
A-4. The Sponsor agrees that any land purchased, facilities constructed, or equipment acquired under this Agreement shall not be sold, swapped, leased or otherwise transferred from the control of the Sponsor without written concurrence of NCDOT.
A-5. The Sponsor agrees that the state share of any land purchased, facilities constructed, or equipment acquired under this Agreement shall be credited to NCDOT in a manner acceptable to NCDOT in the event such land, facilities or equipment are subsequently disposed of through sale or lease.
A copy of the Sponsor’s Assurances: General Conditions is also attached to each executed agreement. (Grant Assurances were revised/updated January 1, 2011)
1. Compliance Requirement – Records and documentation must be kept to support any equipment purchased with State funds. These records must support the costs presented to the Division of Aviation.
Audit Objective - Determine whether the:
1. Grantee maintains proper records for equipment and adequately safeguards and maintains the equipment.
2. Grantee has disposed of or encumbered any equipment acquired with State Awards. If so was the action taken in accordance with the requirements of the Division of Aviation.
Suggested Audit Procedure
1. Select a sample of equipment transactions and test for compliance with the Division of Aviation’s policies and procedures for management and disposition of equipment.
2. Verify that the fixed asset or property records contain information about the equipment purchased with State Funds. Such information could include a description, who holds title, acquisition date and cost, percentage of State participation in the cost, location, condition and any ultimate disposition data including, the date of disposal and sales price or method used to determine current fair market value.
3. Select a sample of equipment identified as acquired under State awards from the property records and physically inspect the equipment including whether the equipment is appropriately safeguarded and maintained.
2. Compliance Requirement - Grantees must obtain permission of the Department of Transportation to dispose of land acquired with State Aid to Airports funds. If approved, the grantee must attempt to obtain fair market value for the property and the proceeds must be expended on the airport in a manner acceptable to the Department of Transportation (Note: If the land had been acquired with some form of Federal participation, involvement of the Federal Aviation Administration is also required). In addition, any balance of funds from previous land disposals is considered encumbered and must receive similar approval for dispersal.
Audit Objective - Determine if appropriate permission and fair market value was obtained; determine the handling of funds from the sale.
Suggested Audit Procedure
1. Review minutes of the local government and other financial records to determine if land was disposed of during the period or if the local government was holding encumbered funds from past land disposals.
2. Review records to determine if the disposal was approved and what encumbrances, if any, were placed on the proceeds.
3. Review records of the expenditure of any encumbered funds to assure that they were disbursed in accordance with the terms of the encumbrance.
7. MATCHING, LEVEL OF EFFORT, EARMARKING
1. Compliance Requirement - For the State Aid to Airports Program, the only funds that are administered by the Department of Transportation are state funds. Matching ratios are specified in each grant agreement. The possible ratios are:
For construction of new and existing airports, state funds may not exceed 90% of the non-federal share of final eligible project expenses for such items such as planning, land acquisition, site preparation, paving and marking, lighting, electronic navigational aids, safety and security equipment. Items such as terminals are only eligible for 50% funds. Under the AIP, funding ratios can vary for air carrier airports (ex: 75% 12.5% 12.5% or 90% 5% 5%).With the approval of the Aviation Director and the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, grant ratios may be altered but only in limited circumstance.
Rural Airport Development Grants, the recommended funding matches are 2.5% and 5%, or as specified in each grant agreement.
Audit Objective - Determine the level of participation.
Suggested Audit Procedure - Review the agreement for participation (usually expressed as a percentage) and test sample transactions for adherence to the agreement.
2. Compliance Requirement –In-kind contributions are allowable if specified in the project budget in the grant agreement. The State Aid to Airports Program has adopted the requirements of CFR 49, Subtitle A, Part 18.24 for in-kind contributions (www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/index.html).
Audit Objective – Determine if the minimum amount or percentage of contributions or matching funds was provided.
Suggested Audit Procedure – Verify that the in-kind match was from an allowable source and that values placed on the in-kind contribution are in accordance with CFR 49, Subtitle A, Part 18.24.
8. PERIOD OF AVAILABILITY OF STATE FUNDS
Compliance Requirement – Awards specify a time period during which the grantee may use the funds. The grantee may charge to the award only costs resulting from obligations incurred during the funding period.
Audit Objective – Determine that State funds were obligated within the period of availability as specified in the grant agreement.
Suggested Audit Procedure
1. Review the grant agreement to determine any requirements related to the period of availability of the funds.
2. Test a sample of transactions charged to the State award to assure that the underlying obligation occurred within the period of availability as stated in the award agreement.
9. PROCUREMENT & SUSPENSION & DEBARMENT
Compliance Requirement - N.C.G.S. 143-129 requires the solicitation of bids on construction or repair work requiring expenditure of public money in an amount equal to or more than five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or purchases in an amount equal to or more than ninety thousand dollars ($90,000). N.C.G.S. 143-131 states that all contracts for construction or repair work or for the purchase of apparatus, supplies, materials, or equipment, involving the expenditure of public money in the amount of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) or more, but less than the limits prescribed in G.S. 143-129, shall be made after informal bids have been secured. Bid tabulation and governing agency resolution recommending award is required for contract award to the lowest responsible bidder.